Poll: Voters want Trump to get off Twitter

Voters have a clear message for President Donald Trump: Stop tweeting.

A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows the vast majority of voters, 69 percent, say Trump uses Twitter too much. Fifty-nine percent say the president’s use of Twitter is a bad thing, and even a majority of voters say Trump’s tweets hurt U.S. national security.

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Even Trump’s own base wants him to curb his Twitter use. A 53 percent majority of GOP voters say Trump tweets too much — though slightly more Republicans say Trump’s use of Twitter overall is a good thing (41 percent) than a bad thing (37 percent).

Trump's Twitter posts have created fresh controversies this week. Attorneys have suggested the president may be undermining the legal case for his stalled travel ban, and White House staffers have tried to downplay the significance of his statements on the social media platform.

While previous polls have also suggested Americans look unfavorably at Trump’s social media presence, the president on Tuesday defended his use of the platform. “The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Reports followed later Tuesday that Trump might try to rebut former FBI Director James Comey’s congressional testimony later this week using the site. As of late Tuesday, Trump’s campaign account, @realdonaldtrump — his main vehicle for Twitter usage — had nearly 32 million followers.

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But few voters think Trump is helping himself with his posts, the POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows. Overall, only 23 percent say Trump’s use of the site is a good thing.

Moreover, poll respondents see peril for Trump on Twitter — both real and political. Fifty-one percent of voters say Trump’s use of Twitter hurts national security, 53 percent say it hurts the nation’s standing in the world and 57 percent say it damages his own presidency. A further 48 percent say his tweets hurt GOP lawmakers up for reelection next year.

One bright spot for Trump’s Twitter habit, the poll shows, involves his frequent sparring partner: the news media. More voters say Trump’s tweets hurt the media (44 percent) than help them (29 percent).

The poll was conducted June 1-2 — immediately following Trump’s announcement that he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change. The poll shows voters oppose the president’s decision: By a more-than-2-to-1 margin — 57 percent to 24 percent — voters say the U.S. should be a part of the Paris Agreement. Nineteen percent are undecided.

The vast majority of Democratic voters, 79 percent, say the U.S. should be part of the Paris accord. Among GOP voters, more say the U.S. should not be a part of the agreement (44 percent) than say it should (32 percent). But independents strongly favor U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement, 57 percent to 22 percent.

And more voters want the U.S. to prioritize the environment over industry, the poll shows. Half of voters say the U.S. should do more to strengthen environmental protections, even if it hurts some businesses. Only 29 percent say the U.S. should do more to help businesses, even if it weakens environmental regulations.

Similarly, only 37 percent think the U.S. should be more concerned with coal production and industrial-sector jobs — less than the 50 percent who want the U.S. to focus more on protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Overall, Trump’s approval rating in the new poll stands at 44 percent — virtually unchanged from 45 percent last week. A narrow majority, 51 percent, disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president.

The POLITICO/Morning Consult poll surveyed 1,999 registered voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Morning Consult is a nonpartisan media and technology company that provides data-driven research and insights on politics, policy and business strategy.